Gillam’s two slams send Boll Weevils to GAC win

Saturday

MONTICELLO — Junior Bronson Gillam hit two grand slams to lead the 25th-ranked Arkansas-Monticello baseball team to a 17-5 Great American Conference victory over East Central at home on Saturday.

MONTICELLO — Junior Bronson Gillam hit two grand slams to lead the 25th-ranked Arkansas-Monticello baseball team to a 17-5 Great American Conference victory over East Central at home on Saturday.

Gillam went 3 for 6 at the plate with a double in the fourth inning and grand slam home runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings. His blast in the eighth put UAM on top by double digits and ended the game due to the NCAA’s 10-run rule in nine inning games

ECU (20-11, 9-7 GAC) opened the scoring with a solo home run by Garrett Donahoe in the top of the first, answered by four runs from UAM (22-10, 12-7 GAC) in the bottom off the inning. Senior Ben Agredano started the rally with a two-run homerun to right field, followed later by an RBI double from sophomore Travis Steinke and an RBI groundout by sophomore Corey Wood.

Junior Kregg Snook (1-1) earned the win in relief, allowing just one run off two hits with two strikeouts and no walks in his two innings on the mound. Junior starter Logan Johnson gave up four runs off six hits with four strikeout and two walks in the first five innings.

Cam McKay (1-2) took the loss for ECU in relief after giving up six runs off five hits in 2.1 innings of work.

The two squads are set to conclude the three-game series on Sunday at Weevils Field with a doubleheader starting at noon.

East Central 3-3, UAM 2-8

ADA, Okla. — The Arkansas-Monticello softball team combined for four home runs in a Great American Conference doubleheader split with East Central (Okla.) on Saturday. ECU won the first game 3-2 followed by an 8-3 victory for UAM in the second game.

UAM (21-16, 12-12 GAC) opened the scoring in the first game with its only two runs of the contest, coming in the form of a two-run home run to center by sophomore Kali Piha. ECU (19-14, 11-10 GAC) put together a three-run rally in the fourth inning to take the lead and hold that advantage after limiting UAM to only two base runners in the final four innings.

In the second game, freshman McKenzie Rice went deep to left in the top of the first inning to kick start a four-run rally for the Blossoms in the frame. Senior Channing Tharpe added a home run to right in the third and junior Lacy Blanchard went deep to right center in the seventh to finalize the scoring. In between Tharpe and Blanchard’s homers, senior Brittany Eitel mixed in a two-out two-run single in the fourth.

Blanchard (1-1) earned the complete-game win for UAM in game two after giving up three runs off seven hits with three strikeouts and only one walk in seven innings of work. Junior Katie Slaughter (10-9) took the loss for the Blossoms in the first game after giving up three runs off six hits with three strikeouts in six innings in the circle.

The two squads close out the four-game series on Sunday with a doubleheader starting at noon.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.